approach for newbie

Due to replaced pc with a newer one I finally felt it was time to test this highly appreciated app. With 2 physical drives and archive placed on data drive just want to clear out the most suitable approach from fellow enthusiasts. Using 3.20.202...
I understood that keeping primary and secondary on sys drive generally is enough. The most useful tactic/strategy is to use create/update archive of existing snapshots to the archive closet. Fast and smooth updates after creating the first archive...If a lot of updates the archive can get fragmented and then you can just delete it and create a new one. Also, keeping the secondary more or less intact to be able to boot up to and restore from the archive into the primary according to choice and archives available.Keeping a third trial snapshot for testing purposes (AV:s&fw:s etc) could also be a good idea to be able to quickly compare different security solutions and to be able to freely switch ...Did I got it right ?
I use ultimatedefrag, is it ok to defrag C:drive having $ISR as exclusion?
As reported ATI obviously works flawless with FDISR if you restore with MBR track 0, right or not needed ? How is it with IFW/DS images from win or bartPE ?
Well, there are more questions but that will be it for now...

 

Ok, Pete...So, not in the MBR meaning that the snapshots are reckognized as used files by image progs and a sector by sector not needed ? Also, how do you defrag ? $ISR as excluded ?...(really challenging to explore the possibilities in this creature...)

 

Excellent...trying to read old topics to collect general info...a lot have been said...thx pete...

 

Osip,
It's difficult to explain HOW to use FDISR, because FDISR expects from the user, how to use it.
So FDISR requires imagination from the user and some users have more imagination, than others. Almost every FDISR-user uses FDISR differently.

For instance Peter and me have both 2 snapshots, but there it stops.
The contents of Peter's snapshots are totally different than mine : he has a work snapshot and a small rescue snapshot.
I have an offline work snapshot and an online work snapshot and I use my offline work snapshot as rescue snapshot.
Acadia has 20+ snapshots. Only a few users, like me use a frozen snapshot, the majority uses normal snapshots.
Everything is OK in FDISR, as long you reach your goal and are satisfied.

FDISR has only technical rules and functions and the user has to decide for himself how to use this functions.

DeepFreeze doesn't require imagination, it only has "frozen mode" and "thawed mode" and that's all.
That's why DF is so simple to use. The user doesn't have to think how to use it, because DF did already the thinking.

 

Yes,EA...and there is the challenge...Trying though to collect some useful experiences by reading your threads amongst others in this subject...Interesting indeed, I have not yet tried the "frozen"...Also, I have plenty free space in my system disk and I´m not especially forced to minimize the snapshots to 2pcs...although I understand that imaging sw would benefit from few snapshots with archives on data drive. And another thing: what about using nlite to strip down the installed win in a snapshot and after that make it the "secondary"...

 

Osip,
If you open FDISR, these are the most used functions in FDISR :

Actions
1. Copy/Update (create also archives, most beginners don't know this)
2. Rename Snapshot
3. Remove Snapshot
4. Boot To Snapshot

Only for frozen snapshot, don't start with this (only one frozen snapshot is possible)
5. Freeze
6. Unfreeze
7. Freeze Previous

Tools
1. Data Anchoring
2. View Activity Log
3. Clear Logs Entries (= Clear Activity Log)
4. Options : General, Archives, Freeze (only for frozen snapshot)


Golden rules :
1. Always use minimum 2 snapshots, never one and one snapshot has to be a rescue snapshot.
2. Copy/Update : the source snapshot/archive ALWAYS decides what the destination snapshot/archive will be.
3. Don't disable Pre-boot.

 

again hello pete,
That approach seems good to me...In theory wondering : is it possible to use ATI or similar and backup the archive.arx to an ATI archive.tib on an external fat32 usb drive for future restore to choiceable dir and import with FDISR ? My mind screws even me myself....

 

An archive (.arx) is a file like any other file and can be included in a backup of ATI.

 

NOT TRUE!! I'm down to about 16 or 17 now.

Acadia

 

Perfect, then I can plan for an .arx storage on my external...

 

Yes, thanks for underlining that...The USB FAT32 drive(which I happen to have) was in theory, FAT32 has its limits and also the arx is compressed for ntfs...Right, a prima image with fdisr installed will be enough to get back to secondary and there refresh primary to current...That´s the way to go...I got it...

 

Hi Osip

Just to let you know that the latest update was version 3.21.205,if you can get it-but not essential.

All 3.2 versions have pre-boot hook moved from MBR to Boot Sector to allow third-party boot managers and other MBR modifing applications to co-exist with FirstDefense-ISR. ,as Pete mentioned.

 

Hi Coo the hairy one....
I´ve had 3.20.202 in the closet...upgraded to another pc and it was time to put it into operation.
Yes, changing from MBR to partition table boot sector was a great move...Different boot managers and safe mode startup if needed as usual , everything as usual...that´s unbeatable...

 

Is version 3.21.205 the same as the FirstDefense-ISR_Rescue_v31212 from Horizon DataSys?? if no, what are the differences??

 

Alloucho,
FirstDefense-ISR v3.21.205 is the very last version real FDISR, which is terminated and has alot more possibilities : multiple snapshots, archives, frozen snapshot, empty snapshot, ... So you can't buy it anymore, it wasn't simple enough for average users and that's why HDS created FDISR RESCUE.

FirstDefense-ISR Rescue is just a simple boot-to-restore solution, like DeepFreeze, Returnil (= freeware), PowerShadow, ShadowDefender, ShadowUser, etc. etc. etc.

 

At the moment,it is the last update from LeapFrog for the full version,which is no longer obtainable anywhere.
The cut back version from HDS is worth trying if you need a system restorer with a one snapshot capability.

The concept is completely different from virtual utilities such as DeepFreeze, Returnil , PowerShadow, ShadowDefender, ShadowUser .
None of these, of course, have any snapshot or imaging capabilities.
There is nothing virtual about any version of FDISR.
The original version was developed for industry,specifically servers in the mining industry and was very simple to use.
Presumably lack of commercial demand resulted in the product not being further sold.